Brake for railway-cars.



Patented Feb. 13,1900.

G. S. FANNING.

BRAKE FOR RAILWAY CARS.

(Application filed Dec. 26, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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GURDON S. FANNING, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK.

BRAKE FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,487, dated. February 13, 1900. Application filed December 26, 1899. $e1ial No. 741,549. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GURDON S. FANNING, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Auburn,county of Oayu ga, State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Brakes for Railway-Oars, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings on one sheet, making part of this specification.

My invention relates to a novel arrange- -ment and provision on railway and other cars moving on rails of an emergency braking appliance for the quick and effective checking of the motion of said cars in cases of danger, and it is also equally applicable and efficient for controlling and regulating the speed and motion of the car or cars when found necessary.

Unlike the car-brakes in common use upon railway and other cars, in which the motion of the same is regulated or checked by the friction of a shoe against the tread periphery of the wheels thereof, my invention performs a like office in a quicker and more efficient way by the frictional impact upon the rail of a shoe bearing downward thereon, the said frictional impact being increased and positively assured by arranging automatically for a flow of sand upon the rail through or directly in front of said shoe when it is downwardly pressed on the rail for the purpose of checking the motion of the car or train of cars. I attain these results by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fourwheeled truck of a railway-car, showing my brake applied thereon. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of a rail, showing the shoe from an end view resting thereon and practically in a position for braking and for the stream of sand to flow through the same. Fig. 3 is a view, taken endwise from the car, of the actuating-cam on the top of a post or bolt, to the bottom end of which latter the brake-shoe is pivoted.

Similar figures for reference shown in the drawings refer to similar parts in the several views.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 represents a portion of the car-bed of the car, which is usually I swiveled upon the framework supported on the wheels.

2 represents the framework, and 3 the wheels at one side of the same.

4 shows the rail at one side of the roadbed.

A suitable cross-piece 5 is provided midway on the framework of the truck and passes from one side to the opposite side of the same. Upon the said cross-piece 5,0r within the same, a boxing 6 is provided on a line drawn vertically through the center of the rail 4, and in the said boxing 6 is carried a vertical shaft or post 7, on the bottom end of which is pivoted, in a position directly over the rail 4, the shoe 8, as seen in Fig. 1. On the top end of said ver tical shaft or post 7 a slot or other provision is made for supporting and pivoting thereon the cam 9, the pivot bolt or shaft of the same being seen at 11. The said pivot-bolt 11 is free to turn in the top of the vertical shaft or post 7, and on it is fixed in desired place the cam 9 referred to. The said pivot-bolt 11 also has fixed upon it, at one side of the cam 9, an actuating-lever 12. (Plainly shown in Fig. 3.)

The brake shoe 8 has its ends slightly curved in an upward direction, and in a desired position between said ends of the brakeshoe 8 and the vertical shaft or post 7 is pivoted on the upper side thereof the vertical steady-posts 13 13, which pass above through eyepieoes 14 14, which are secured in proper place on either side of the cross-piece 5, as shown in the dotted lines on Fig. 1. The object of. this arrangement of parts will pres ently be explained. The brake-shoe 8 is further provided with sand-pipe connections 15 15, having holes which are extended through said brake-shoe 8 at both ends for the passage of sand. The connections 15 15 are heavily reinforced toward the middle of the shoe, for an object to be presently explained, and are connected with flexible tubing 16, (one only of such being shown,) which continues upward to a sand-box 17. (See Fig. 1.) The aforementioned actuating-lever12,which is extended above the car-bed 1, is linked by a rod to a bell-crank 18, which operates a valve 19, placed over the outlet of the sandbox 17, where the flexible tubing 16 is connected therewith, the several parts being practicallyadapted to operate in the position shown in Fig. 1.

An operating chain or cable 20 is fastened by one end to the actuating-lever 12 and the other end passed to and is connected with any desired operating system and at such stations as convenient. Another operating chain or cable may also be provided on the cam 9, as shown at 21, which may be extended and actuated as above mentioned.

The steady posts or bolts 13 13, which are pivoted on the brake-shoe 8, as described,

extend above the eyepieces 1e14, through which they pass, and are furnished with spiral springs 22 22, placed between the upper sides of said eyepieces 14 11, and pins 23 23, provided at the upper ends of the said steady posts or bolts, the object of which will presently be seen.

Bracing-rods 21 21 are provided between the ends of the brake-shoe S and the framework 2 of the truck for assisting the shoe 8 in the maintenance of its place when in use as well as to distribute the strain brought to bear thereon when it is forced downward on the rail. The ends of the bracing-rods 24 24 bearing against the shoe are forked, so as to admit of the vertical motion of the shoe. I am also aware that they might be pivoted thereto; but I deem it impracticable. The other ends of the bracing-rods 2t 2% are made fast to the framework at any convenient position and may themselves be trussed or braced in any suitable manner to keep them in a rigid position.

Having thus far described the several parts of my invention, it remains for me to explain the operation of the same.

lVhen in case of an emergency it is found necessary for the quick and immediate stopping or braking up of the motion of the car or cars upon the rails where my brake is attached, it is only necessary to bring the cam to bear against the car-bed, which is provided with a friction-plate 10, as shown in Fig. 1, to prevent it from wear and tear. This action causes the vertical shaft or post 7, on the bottom end of which the brake-shoe S is pivoted, to be thrust downward and the brakeshoe 8 to be brought into frictional impact with the tread-surface of the rail 4. Of necessity the said impact is increased the more the said cam 0 is pressed against the frictionplate of the car-bed by its operative connections. To prevent the brake-shoe from slipping or sliding along on the surface of the rail, a stream of sand is caused to fall through the end of the brake-shoe that is pointed in the direction the car is moving, and thus the said frictional impact of the brake-shoe is not only greatly increased, but it is prevented as far as such a thing can be possible under the circumstances from slipping any great distance on the track or rail. As the cam is thrown into action against the friction-plate on the under side of the car-bed, as has been explained, the valve 1!) in the sand-box 17 is opened automatically through the connections of the actuating-lever 12 on the pivotshaft 11 therewith, as plainly represented in Fig. 1, in which the curved arrows in the sandbox show the downward flow of the sand into the flexible tubing 16.

' It will be seen from the above description thata similar action and arrangement of parts can be duplicated and caused to act in a reverse way, so that in whichever direction the car may be moving a stream of sand can be caused to flow through the proper end of the brake-shoe at the time it is brought to bear downward on the rail.

It will be observed that I have arranged the brake-shoe exactly between the wheels of the truck in Fig. 1. This construction would of necessity prohibit the extension of the pivot-shaft 11, on which the cam 9 is carried, to the opposite side of the truck, so as to operate a corresponding brake-shoe on the opposite track. It might, however, be carried to one side of the center, and thus avoid the obstruction to its passage, which is the swivel connection of the truck and car, and thus operate a brake-shoe on each track between the wheels of the truck.

My device has been shown in the position first indicated in order that a better general idea might be conveyed of the invention and its action. The position of the brake-shoe and its immediate connected parts is, however, non-essential, for it may be hung from an appropriate cross-beam at any desired point along the under side of the car-bed and operated substantially with equal facility and practical result so long as I observe to maintain the relative position of the brake-shoe with the rail on which it is forced down to stop the motion of the car.

The brace-rods 24 24 serve to distribute the strain consequent upon the brake-shoe and its connected parts when it is brought into action. The ends of said brace-rods 24 24:, which bear against the shoe, are forked and bear against a point coincident practically with the sand-box connection at each end, which is heavily reinforced to withstand the strain. The other ends of the brace-rods are made fast to any suitable point on the framework. It will also be seen that the forked ends of the brace-rods allow the brake-shoe to be retracted from the rail, which act is accomplished by the recoil of the spiral springs 22 22 on the top ends of the steady-posts 13 13, which pass in the eyepieces let 14, when the cam is released from its bearing against the friction-plate on the under side of the car-bed. The said brake-shoe may be provided on its impact surface with a sole to be renewed from time to time, and thus prevent the wearing of the brake-shoe proper and the consequent disorganization of its connected parts. This feature has not been shown, as I have deemed it non-essential in the explanation of my improvement and its operation.

Having thus described my invention and its mode of operation, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a brake for railway-cars &c., a brakeshoe in alinement with the railor rails of the road-bed on or near the tread-surface of said rail or rails; a vertical bolt midway of said brake-shoe and a cam at the top end thereof; vertical bolts near the ends of said brakeshoe having springs on the upper ends thereof 3 holes at either end of said brake-shoe extending through the same with sand-box connections, and brace-rods at either end of said brake-shoe substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein described and shown.

2. In a brake for railway-cars &c. a brakeshoe carried in alinement with the rail of the road-bed at or near the tread-surface of the same having a vertical bolt pivoted midway thereon provided with a cam at its top end adapted to depress said brake-shoe on said rail, and vertical bolts near the ends thereof provided with springs at their top ends adapted to lift said brake-shoe from said rail, and holes formed through said brake-shoe near either end thereof combined with flexible sand-box connections adapted to admit a flow of sand through said holes and brace-rods at either end having forked ends to admit of the vertical action of said brake-shoe substantially constructed in the manner and for the purpose herein described and shown.

3. In a brake for railway-cars &c. a brakeshoe carried in alinement with the rail of the road-bed at or near the tread-surface of the same, having a vertical bolt pivoted midway thereon provided with a cam at its top end adapted to depress said brake-shoe on said rail, and vertical bolts near the ends thereof provided with springs at their top ends arranged to lift said brake-shoe from said rail, and holes formed through said brake-shoe near either end thereof and flexible sand-box connections adapted to admit a flow of sand through said holes; combined with brace-rods at either end having forked ends to admit of the vertical movement of said brake-shoe, and means for supplying the sand to said flexible sand-box connections when said brakeshoe is depressed on the tread of the rail of the road-bed and to shut the same off therefrom when said brake-shoe is released from said depression on said rail substantially constructed in the manner and for the purpose herein described and shown.

I testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Auburn, county of Cayuga, State of New York, this 22d day of December, 1899.

GUR-DON S. FANNING.

Witnesses:

E. H. AVERY, G. B. LONGSTREET. 

